Sound-producing instrument.



No. 672,235. Patented Apr. l6, l90l. F. MYERS.

SOUND PRODUCING INSTRUMENT. (N0 Model.) (Application flld Jan. 9, 1901.) s s t m: NORRIS PETER: co. PKOTO-LITHQ. WASHXNGTON o. c.

No. 672,235. Patented Apr. as, mm.

- F. ravens.

SOUND PRODUCING INSTRUMENT.

(n Model) (Application filed Jan. 9, 1901.) 3 sheets Sheet 2- Wblmmco No, 672,235. Patentgd Apr. 16, neon.

F. MYERS.

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( Mods") {Apphcatxon filed Jan. 9 19-01.) 3 Shea? Sheet 3' m: mums PETERS co. Pno'roumc" WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATET Urricn,

FREDERICK MYERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE STYLOPHONE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SOUND-PRODUCING INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 672,23 dated p i 1- Application filed January 9,1901. Serial No. 42,677. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: described. An arm 19 extends upward from Be it known that I, FREDERICK MYERS, a the yoke 4t, and at the upper end of the arm a citizen of the United States, residing at New round flat table 20 is provided. A roller-car- York, in the county of New York and State riage 21 is pivoted on the table 20 by a screw 5 5 of New York, have invented new and useful 21". A lever 22 is pivoted on a bracket rising Improvements in Sound-Producing Instrufrom the roller-carriage,and aroller 24isjourments,of which the following isaspecification. naled at one end of this lever. This roller is My invention relates to sound-producing inpreferably madeof some soft materiahlike felt struments of the phonograph type, and the or chamois, in order that, as it bears upon the 60 IO principal object of the same is to provide simsmooth portion of the disk or record'support, ple and efficient means for giving a rotary and it may be noiseless. The opposite end of the a vertical vibratory motion to the record-disk. lever 22 has a boss 25, provided with a smooth In instruments which reproduce from the rechole therein to form a seat for an adjustingord-disk as at present in use the disk is rot-ascrew 26. The end of this screw fits a threaded 65 ted and the reproducer is mounted upon a pivhole 27 in the roller-carriage 21, and a spiral oted arm, the stylus being free to follow the spring 29 encircles the shank of the screw 26 spiral grooves'in the disk,and thus serving to and bears at one end against the carriage 21 carry the reproducer laterally across the face and at its upper end against the boss 25. The n of the disk. The object referred to is attained record-disk consists of a disk of thin corru- 70 by means of the construction illustrated in gated sheet-steel 30,- having a papier-mach the accompanying drawings, in which record-ring 31 cemented to each side thereof.

. Figurel is a front elevation of an instru- The corrugations in the disk 30 serve to ment made in accordance with my invention. stiffen the disk and also to form grooves for Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. the adhesive material for securing the record- 75 3 isa plan view. Fig. tie a sectional view of rings to the disk. The central aperture 32 the record-disk. Fig. 5 is a central section in the disk has a number of teeth 33 prothrough the sound-box. jecting inward to fit the grooves 17 in the con- Like numerals of reference designate like ical point let in order to insure their rotation. parts in the different views of the drawings. The feed-screw 34 is secured to the shaft 5 80 30 The numeral] designatesatable orstand for in any suitable manner, and a nut 35 is sesupporting the instrument, and 2 represents cured to an arm 36, connected to a sleeve 37, the legs forsaid table. Rising from one end of mounted to slide upon a rod 38, secured to the table is a bracket 3, having formed at its the motor-frame. An arm 39, formed on the upper end a journal-yoke 4: for one end of the sleeve 37, is curved and apertured to carry a 85 35 feed-shaft 5, the opposite end of said feedsound-box 40, and a pivoted lever 41 holds shaft being journaled in one of the uprights the sound-boXin place in the aperture in said 6 of the motor-frame. A miter-gear 7 is securved arm. This sound-box may consist of cured to the shaft 5 in any suitable manner, a suitable diaphragm 41*, suitably secured in and this gear is in mesh with a miter-gear 8, the box, and a stylus 42, centrally attached 0 secured by a screw 9 to a sleeve 10, said to the diaphragm. Since the stylus is not re sleeve having a solid lower portion which required to vibrate, it need not be of the gravvolves upon a bearing-pin 11,passing through ity type, but may be mounted directly to the a hole in the yoke 4. A spiral spring 12 is diaphragm and not weighted to move up and seated in the sleeve 10, and resting upon the down. To throw the nut out of contact with 95 45 upper end of the spring is a pin 13, having a the feed-screw, a finger-lever 43 is secured to conical point 14. The sleeve 10 is slotted at said nut, and journaled in a bracket 44., de- 15, and a pin 16 passes through the slot, and pending from said lever, is a roller 45, havthus permits the pin 13 to have a vertical ing a round bearing-surface. A tubular ecplay while it is revolved by the miter-gears. centric 46 is provided with two longitudinal mo The conical point 14. is grooved longitudinally grooves 47 47, in which the roller 45 travels. at 17 for a purpose which will be hereinafter A handle 48, attached to the eccentric 4.6, may

I be used to raise or lower the feed-nut, the

the record disk.

roller running in'the groove 47 when the nut is thrown down into contact with the feedscrew and said roller running in the groove 4:7 when the feed is thrown off. When the nut is raised, the stylus is simultaneously raised from the record. The sound-box arm may be pivoted at 49 to permit the sound-box to be swung out of the way when changing the record, although this is not absolutely necessary.

Any suitable motor may be used for running the instrument, that shown being ofthe spring type. v

In making the record I take the original record disk and electrotype it. From the electrotype-I produce a papier-mach matrix, and this matrix is then mounted upon athin corrugated steel disk, said disk then serving as the record-support and not requiring the use of a separate table-support made as a part of the instrument. The. disk may have a record upon either or both sides.

The operation of the instrument is as follows: When the motor is started, the feedshaft is rotated, which revolves the mitergears and imparts the required revolution to When the nut is thrown into contact with the feed-screw, the movement of the sound-box is lateral across the face of the record. The record-disk being supported centrally upon a spring-sustained pin and having a spring-pressed roller bearing upon its outer edge, the record. is held up in contact with the stylus with just the required stress to compel the stylus to follow the sound-grooves. The adjusting-screw 26 may be turned to throw the opposite edge of the record-disk up to the stylus with greater or less force. It is to be noted that the center pin, the roller, and the stylus are in the same diametrical line, and these being the only bearing-points of the record a very sen= sitive vibratory motion is given to the free edge of the disk by the stylus, and the extent and force of this motion may be readily adjusted by the screw 26.

By means of the construction and arrangement set forth herein the construction of the sound -box may be simplified, some of the parts of the instrument dispensed with, and a more uniform and reliable operation attained. Instead of feeding the sound-box across the record by a very slight change in the mechanism the record may be fed laterally, and the sound-box may be held stationary.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

I claim;

1. A record-disk mounted upon a central pin, a roller bearing upon the upper surface of the disk near its periphery, means for adjusting the roller toward and from the disk,

' and means for revolving the disk in contact with a stylus located in a diametrical line with the central pin and roller.

2. In a sound-producing instrument, a record-disk mounted upon a yielding central support, a spring-sustained roller bearing upon the upper surface of the disk near one edge, and a stylus bearing upon the disk in a diametrical line with the central support and roller.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK MYERS;

Witnesses:

GUY E. PADGETT, EDWARD BYRNE. 

